The Nice Guys [MA]

A hired thug and a private detective cross paths on their jobs of finding and protecting a young girl. Originally on opposite sides, the two are required to team up when it becomes apparent that their girl is involved in something very large and very dangerous. Three people associated with her are dead and she’ll be next if they can’t cut through the web of politics and pornography that surrounds her. 

With the complex whodunit done story of a 1930s detective thriller and the vibrant aesthetic of a 1970s action comedy, The Nice Guys is a film that is quite enjoyable upon first viewing, but would probably require a second or third watch before you can come to a definite conclusion about whether you liked it or not. 

The intrigue of the film comes in the many-tiered detective story of pornography and politics. From beginning to end you’re watching and listening intently to try and pick up some crucial detail or key clue that will tie everything together and make it all make sense. 

On top of that, you’re trying to keep the continuing running list of characters clear in your head. This really is like a 1930’s Bogart detective movie where there are so many characters and so many different groups of characters that are all intertwined in this one big conspiracy, even though many of them are from opposite ends of the spectrum. This is why I say that a second or even third watch might work as something of a benefit. 

Another element of the movie that keeps bums in seats and eyes on the screen is the 1970s aesthetic. The set design and costume design departments must have had some real fun creating these vibrant and expressionistic costumes, especially those featured in the main party scene. We have naked women painted over in beautiful patterns with golden and glittering body paints, we have the sharp turtleneck skivvies with the red patent leather jackets and pants, paisley shirts with lethal collars, classic Aviators, not to mention every popular hairstyle is represented from the floppy mop look to the fluffed out afro. It’s all pretty fantastic. 

And the third source of enjoyment in this movie is the performances from our leading duo of Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. The two bounce very well off each other without being like chalk and cheese. Crowe deepens and gruffs out his voice and suddenly he’s this intimidating thug with just a hint that he might have a heart of gold. Gosling provides more of the comic relief as the greedy, drunk, and completely off the rails private detective who is trying to be a decent father. Both actors deliver their performances with feeling and each has a solid presence that commands the scenes they’re in. 

However, this movie is not without some ifs and buts. For a start, whilst the story is intriguing in its layers and complexity, there are times when you are at a bit of a loss as to what’s going on and there are so many curve balls thrown at us without any real information dumps that it sometimes proves tricky to follow everything that’s happening. 

Also too, both Crowe and Gosling’s characters didn’t really get as much exhibition as they could have. What I mean by that is that we have these two characters that are both haunted by their own torments that make them actually not very nice guys, but the audience is never really let in on those torments and we don’t ever get a clear sense of why these guys are as they are. We get some hints that pique our interest, but no real development or follow through and what that results in is these two characters that give the inflection that they are complex, but really all we get to see is one side of their personality and both their character arcs are pretty small and uninspiring. 

You like both of these guys fine, but because we don’t really get to know them it’s hard to form an emotional attachment. 

Starring Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer, Margaret Qualley, Yaya DaCosta, Beau Knapp, Lois Smith, Murielle Telio, Daisy Tahan, Gill Gerard, Keith David, and Kim Basinger, The Nice Guys is a fun and rollicking movie that delivers all the thrills of a detective thriller and action comedy, but is far from being perfect. Filled with action, violence, drama, reluctant heroes, and comedy, it’s a bit of a cross between The Big Sleep and Boogie Nights.